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Church in the News
from August SAM
ARCHBISHOP SAYS PELOSI TO BE DENIED COMMUNION
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San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, seen in a fi le photo celebrating Mass outside the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, has banned US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (right) from receiving Communion in the archdiocese, due to her support of abortion rights. The move was welcomed by some bishops but questioned by others. THIS PAST MAY, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco announced that he will no longer allow US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to receive Communion because of her support for abortion rights, reported Catholic News Service (CNS). Pelosi, a Catholic, represents California’s 12th Congressional District, which is entirely within San Francisco.
Th e archbishop said he made the decision “aft er numerous attempts to speak with her to help her understand the grave evil she is perpetrating, the scandal she is causing, and the danger to her own soul she is risking” as a Catholic who supports legalized abortion.
Th e ban, he noted, will remain in place unless and until she publicly repudiates “support for abortion ‘rights,’” goes to confession, and receives absolution “for her cooperation in this evil.”
“Please know that I fi nd no pleasure whatsoever in fulfi lling my pastoral duty here,” Archbishop Cordileone said. “Speaker Pelosi remains our sister in Christ. Her advocacy for the care of the poor and vulnerable elicits my admiration. I assure you that my action here is purely pastoral, not political. I have been very clear in my words and actions about this.”
Some bishops, however, questioned the move. Archbishop Michael Jackels of Dubuque, Iowa, issued a statement describing the action as “misguided.”
“As Jesus said, it’s the sick people who need a doctor, not the healthy, and he gave us the Eucharist as a healing remedy,” Jackels said. “Don’t deny the people who need the medicine.”
He also contended that the issue of abortion is not the only critical “life issue” that is currently facing the Church. “Protecting the earth, our common home, or making food, water, shelter, education, and health care accessible, or defense against gun violence . . . these are life issues too,” he said. “To be consistent, to repair the scandal of Catholics being indiff erent or opposed to all those other life issues, they would have to be denied holy Communion as well.”
RELATED NEWS In an open letter issued in June, the Catholic bishops of Colorado asked Catholic legislators “who live or worship in the state” and voted for Colorado’s Reproductive Health Equity Act “to voluntarily refrain from receiving holy Communion until public repentance takes place and sacramental absolution is received in confession.”
Th e Reproductive Health Equity Act is considered one of the nation’s most permissive abortion measures. Signing the letter were (pictured below, identifi ed left to right): Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila of Denver, Auxiliary Bishop Jorge H. Rodriguez of Denver, Bishop Stephen J. Berg of Pueblo, and Bishop James R. Golka of Colorado Springs.
POLL REFLECTS CATHOLIC AMERICANS’ VIEWS ON CHURCH LEADERSHIP
FRANCISCANS SELECT NAME FOR NEW PROVINCE
ACCORDING TO A RECENT POLL, the majority of American Catholics disagree with Church leadership regarding issues such as abortion, inclusion of LGBTQ people, and the denial of Communion to politicians. The survey was conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in May, following the leak of a draft opinion suggesting a majority of Supreme Court justices support overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide.
Regarding the issue of Roe v. Wade, the poll showed that 63 percent of Catholic adults say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, and 68 percent say Roe should be left as is.
The poll also showed that only 31 percent of lay Catholics agree that politicians supporting abortion rights should be denied Communion, while 66 percent say they should be allowed access to the sacrament.
Most Catholics say the Catholic Church has had at least some influence in their lives in general and on their views on social issues. But a majority say the Church has had little influence on their political views.
Thirty-four percent of Americans say their opinion of the Church has deteriorated over the past five years, while only 8 percent have a better view of the Church and 55 percent say their attitude has not changed. Among Catholics, 26 percent have a more negative view of the Church as compared to five years ago, 17 percent have an improved opinion, and 57 percent feel the same way.
Forty-eight percent of Catholics who were polled said their church attendance levels are similar to five years ago, while 37 percent said they’re attending Mass less often.
Catholics who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender
Catholic politicians who disagree with the Church’s position on the death penalty
Divorced Catholics who remarry without getting an annulment
Catholic politicians who disagree with the Church’s position on abortion
THE US FRANCISCANS announced the name of the new province that will be established in late 2023. Due to declining numbers, six of the provinces will merge into one, under the name of Our Lady of Guadalupe Province. The decision came following more than a year of discussions with friars and straw ballots regarding the province’s new name.
In a letter to the friars, the provincial ministers said the name choice “brings an essential feminine and maternal element to our brotherhood.” They added, “Our Lady of Guadalupe proclaims that we should learn from God what it means to approach each other with humility: learning, accepting others, and forever traveling from head to heart. For centuries, she has represented values that are fundamental to our order: a commitment to justice, to standing alongside the oppressed.”
Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller of San Antonio comforts people following the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Nineteen students and two teachers were killed in the attack.
IN THE WAKE of the shootings in Buff alo, California, and Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, Catholic leaders spoke out and called for stronger gun control measures, saying it is a life issue, reported CNS.
Shortly aft er the shooting in Uvalde that killed 19 students and two teachers, Pope Francis said, “It’s time to say, ‘Enough!’ to the indiscriminate fl ow of guns.” He encouraged everyone to be committed in the eff ort “so that tragedies like this cannot occur again.”
San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, who comforted families outside a local civic center in Uvalde as they waited for news, said in a statement: “When will these insane acts of violence end? It is too great a burden to bear. Th e word tragedy doesn’t begin to describe what occurred. Th ese massacres cannot be considered ‘the new normal.’
“Th e Catholic Church consistently calls for the protection of all life, and these mass shootings are a most pressing life issue on which all in society must act—elected leaders and citizens alike,” he said. “We pray that God comfort and off er compassion to the families of these little ones whose pain is unbearable.”
Th e archbishop also confi rmed to a CNN reporter that there’s an eff ort to connect with the family of the gunman, Salvador Ramos. He said he would show them gestures of “tenderness, compassion because they are suff ering too.” He said Ramos’ actions were evil, but he didn’t agree when he heard someone say, “Th at man is evil.”
“No, they were evil actions. Everyone has dignity and the family is suff ering too,” he said. “It’s easy to make remarks that destroy people’s lives . . . there’s already enough destruction.” In the days following the shootings, four bishops who chair committees within the US Conference of Catholic Bishops wrote a joint letter to Congress calling on members to “unite in our humanity to stop the massacres of innocent lives.”
Th e bishops urged all members of Congress “to refl ect on the compassion all of you undoubtedly feel in light of these tragic events and be moved to action because of it. Th ere is something deeply wrong with a culture where these acts of violence are increasingly common. Th ere must be dialogue followed by concrete action to bring about a broader social renewal that addresses all aspects of the crisis, including mental health, the state of families, the valuation of life, the infl uence of entertainment and gaming industries, bullying, and the availability of fi rearms.”
In June, aft er 20 senators announced a bipartisan proposal to address gun violence, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, released a statement praising the action.
“I am deeply grateful that members of Congress have undertaken bipartisan negotiations to address the plague of gun violence in our nation. . . . I encourage Congress to continue these important eff orts which will help build a culture of life. It is imperative this Congress passes into law new protections for the American people.”
THIS PAST JUNE, the US bishops marked the 20th anniversary of the implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People that was passed as part of their commitment to address the issue of clergy sexual abuse.
Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, who was president of the bishops’ conference when the charter was passed, called it a “pivotal moment” for the US Church. Th ere is still work to be done, though, for bishops to regain credibility, he said.
Th e most recent annual report reviewing diocesan compliance with the charter covering the year from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020, showed that 195 of 197 US dioceses and eparchies participated in the audit. Auditors chose 61 entities for more detailed audits with 10 conducted in person. Th e other 51 were conducted online. Data was collected from 134 other dioceses and eparchies. Of the 61 entities undergoing audits, two dioceses and two eparchies were determined to be in noncompliance with the charter.
Pope Francis greets Bono, lead singer of the band U2, before a meeting of Scholas Occurentes in Rome. The event was for the launch of the “Laudato Si’ School.” Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II talks with Pope Francis during a meeting at the Vatican in 2014. The pope sent well-wishes to the queen on the occasion of her celebration of serving 70 years on the throne.
BONO, the lead singer for the rock band U2, joined Pope Francis on May 19 to celebrate the launch of the Scholas International Educational Movement and its environmental project. The movement, which began in Pope Francis’ Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, supports education in poor neighborhoods by pairing their schools with private schools and institutions in wealthier neighborhoods. Two days earlier, the pope signed a decree changing Scholas Occurrentes’ status from a pontifi cal foundation to “an international association of the faithful.”
PHOTO CREDIT HERE CNS PHOTOS: LE FT: VATICAN MEDIA; RIGHT: MARIA GRAZIA PICCIARELLA/POOL; LOWER RIGHT: VATICAN STAMP AND COIN OFFICE FOLLOWING 10 YEARS OF WORK, Jerusalem’s Via Dolorosa is now more accessible to disabled and elderly people, as a result of the $6.5 million Accessible Jerusalem-Old City project. The renovation includes ramps as well as a set of “Venetian stairs,” which combine short sloping steps within the ramps along the steep path on a stretch near the fi fth, sixth, and seventh stations.
Gura Berger, spokeswoman for the East Jerusalem Development Company, which implemented the program, said that maneuvering the path is still an effort, but planners were limited in solutions because of the historical and topographical aspects of the city. Berger added that it is diffi cult to make accessible a city that was constructed in ancient times with the intention of keeping invaders out.
THE CENTER for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University recently released its fi ndings on the status of the permanent diaconate in the United States in the document “A Portrait of the Permanent Diaconate.” The study’s fi ndings include the percentage of active vs. nonactive deacons, the archdioceses/ dioceses and eparchies with the largest number of permanent deacons, sociocultural demographics, and ministerial involvement. The full study can be found online at https://bit.ly/3mhEyqP.
IN HONOR of the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth‘s years on the throne, Pope Francis sent a message to her, saying, “On this joyful occasion of your Majesty’s birthday, and as you celebrate this Platinum Jubilee year, I send cordial greetings and good wishes, together with the renewed assurance of my prayers that Almighty God will bestow upon you, the members of the Royal Family, and all the people of the nation blessings of unity, prosperity, and peace.” The pope also donated a Cedar of Lebanon to the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative, which encourages people from across the United Kingdom to “Plant a Tree for the Jubilee.”
THE VATICAN stamp and coin offi ce recently released several commemorative coins, including one promoting the importance of vaccinations and a silver medal for peace in Ukraine. Proceeds from sales of the silver medal will be used to help victims of the war.
IN MAY, the World Meteorological Organization released its latest “State of the Global Climate 2021” report, which states that the past seven years have been the hottest years to date and that four key climate indicators set new records last year.
